How to Remove Slate Siding
Slate siding is a shingle-type siding that was manufactured and used in the early twentieth century. This siding commonly contained asbestos, and its manufacture and use were discontinued in the late 1900s. Because of this, you should check with your local waste management department to determine where you can dispose of your slate siding in case it does contain asbestos. Removal of slate siding comes in reverse order of its installation--from the top of your exterior walls to the bottom. The uninstallation only requires a couple of tools. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Asbestos test kit
- Ladder
- Goggles
- Respirator
- Heavy gloves
- Pry bar
- Nail puller
Instructions
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1
Purchase an asbestos test kit and test a sample of your slate siding to determine if it has asbestos, following the test kit manufacturer's proprietary instructions.
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2
Set a ladder against the house near a corner. You will need to start at on the top row of slate siding shingles; the shingles near the corner will be the most simple to remove.
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Put on goggles, a respirator and heavy gloves. Climb up the ladder with a pry bar and nail puller in hand.
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4
Grasp the top shingle abutting the corner shingle, or the first one in from the end corner, and pry it up with your hand or the pry bar. You will see nails holding the shingle below it in place, fastened against the wall.
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5
Pull the nails out of the shingle below the one you pried upward with the pry bar or a nail puller. Then, go on to the next shingle in the top row; continue lifting the top shingles and removing the shingles from the second row until every one has been unfastened. Because slate siding is installed from the foundation up, you will have to remove the second row from the top first, then remove the remaining rows from top to bottom.
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Pry or pull away the nails from the successive lower rows until you reach the foundation of your home. This will take a substantial amount of time, but is the most effective way of removing slate siding.
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